Through 37 games, the Eastern baseball team has eight home runs.

How bad is that?

Albert Pujols, Jim Thome, Chris Shelton, Jonny Gomes and Morgan Ensberg each have more home runs in three weeks than the Panthers have had in two months.

The Panthers had 44 home runs in 56 games last year. What is the reason for the sudden power shortage with the Panthers?

It’s not that Eastern was a power team last year either, but to fall so short of last year’s home run pace with 17 games left leaves many wondering why.

Last year’s top three home run leaders (Jason Cobb, Keiji Szalo and Ryan Campbell) are all back for the Panthers.

The trio totaled 26 home runs last season, but combined for only two this season.

Eastern head coach Jim Schmitz has lamented all season that he has nine singles hitters and it seems it was wearing on him in last Wednesday’s loss to Southern Illinois.

The current leader in home runs is second-place Eastern Kentucky with 41. Ohio Valley Conference leader Samford ranks third in home runs with 23.

It’s amazing that the Panthers have been able to maintain a stranglehold on third place in the conference.

The best possible explanation for their current standing is that they rank second in team batting average and second in team ERA.

Until this weekend’s shellacking at Samford, the Eastern pitchers have carried the Panthers for a better part of the season.

Drew Gierich played the role of stopper in Sunday’s 6-4 win over the Bulldogs, but it’s time the Panthers’ “power” hitters produced.

Eastern has arguably the best 1-2 hitters in the conference with Brett Nommensen hitting .339 and Mark Chagnon leading the OVC at .407.

With as good as the table setters are in the Panthers’ lineup, Huber, Campbell and Cobb should be geared up for three-run homers.

Earlier in the season, Schmitz said the Panthers’ hitters were trying to pull every pitch and they were making a lot of groundouts.

To Schmitz’s and the Panthers’ credit, they have done an excellent job of manufacturing runs, but that only goes so far.

The Chicago White Sox discovered that in the off-season when they traded Aaron Rowand to the Philadelphia Phillies for Thome.

General manager Kenny Williams said that he knew it would be hard for the Sox to repeat last season’s feat of playing small-ball again.

He had the understanding that the White Sox needed more power in their lineup and figured that Thome would be a good acquisition. But Williams has been wrong so far.

He has been a great acquisition.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, there is no trade in college baseball to cure their power-hitting woes.

At this part of the season, the questions likely will remain unanswered.

Marc Correnti is a junior journalism major. He can be reached at EIU3583@yahoo.com.